Concertimento

Join us on ELECTION NIGHT for music, news, food and drink! Outside the Box An Election Night Concert of Free Improvisation Tuesday, November 4, 2008 6 pm - midnight Curated by Lisa Bielawa in New York & Carla Kihlstedt in the Bay Area Simultaneous concert to be performed in Oakland, CA and broadcast via live video fee Featuring performances by 19 artists: John Zorn, composer, saxophonist, and multi-instrumentalist Joan La Barbara, composer, performer, and soundartist Lisa Bielawa, composer and vocalist Kevork Mourad, improvisational painter Steve Ben Israel, poet Zeena Parkins, electric harp Colin Jacobsen, violinist Charles Waters, clarinetist, saxophonist, and multi-instrumentalist Kinan Azmeh, clarinetist Gordon Beeferman, composer and pianist Shahzad Ismaily, percussionist Russ Johnson, trumpet Mick Rossi, pianist, composer, and percussionist Kyle Sanna, guitarist Jim Black, percussionist Ches Smith, drummer Miguel Frasconi, glass instrumentalist and electronics Paul Knopf,

Dear Readers- I'm editing this work "Defenders" originally written for ASM and wanted to share my notes from this piece. Hopefully we'll hear it soon. Rzewski had some interesting things to say about my essay, all of which left me even more committed. PEACE. "Music is the opposite of war. Even the most clashing, iconoclastic music is humbled by the power of the medium. Music has the power of peace. This work was originally conceived as an homage to the 'Defenders of the Union" Arch at Grand Army Plaza in Brooklyn. It represents the power of reconciliation. And music becomes the MESSAGE of TRANSFORMATION - "HEALING THROUGH TONE." In this work I am focused on energy transformation rather than technical demands. it is a work that can hopefully be understood by players and listeners very directly. In the end, perhaps we all - artists, composers, conductors, players, singers, presenters, thinkers and critics are the "New Defenders",

I've determined to publish more often! I guess I was never a good diarist, but I'm going to try. The ASM concert at St. Marks was lovely.  One of the things that sets ASM apart from the gaggle of other "new music bands' is that its a collection of composers first. Great players too, but really interesting voices in this group.  The Auster chord was short - about 5 minutes and really great to hear.  I hope it lasts another day! Also during the past few weeks recorded and performed with my new group the Waters Horn Quartet - really great players - Nate Wooley, Chris McIntyre, Matt Bauder.  We played for the Art Under the Bridge Festival in Dumbo for which I wrote the "DUMBO CONCERTIMENTO" - its a grid work based on the muralist Tattfoo Tan's mural in DUMBO. This DUMBO piece is in three parts of which I composed two. First for horn quartet, second for Octet (using Stravinsky's instruments) and third part for low instruments best described as an Homage t